ZIGGY SIZZLES AGAINST FLAMES KINGS 4, CALGARY 2.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

Ziggy Palffy is angry. He is scoring, too.

He doesn't like the trade rumors that include his name. So he is taking it out on the other teams.

On Thursday night, it was the Calgary Flames who watched Palffy score a goal and add two assists in a 4-2 victory, the Kings' fifth in the past six games.

``I'm not hot, the team is,'' said Palffy, who recorded his 600th career point with a second-period assist. ``No one thinks we can make the playoffs, but the only people that count are the guys in this room.''

Palffy has five goals and six assists during the Kings' hot streak. He has nine goals in 12 games since it became clear the club might move him if they fell out of the playoff picture.

``Have I been traded yet?'' Palffy said, defiantly.

Even with their recent run, the Kings (24-25-4-4) trail the Mighty Ducks by seven points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. There are 25 games remaining.

Kings coach Andy Murray is telling his players to forget the big picture.

Beating the Flames to open a three-game homestand was another step. Next week, the Kings take a five-game trip to the Eastern time zone. They have won just twice on the road since mid-December.

``If you look at the whole thing, it can be pretty daunting and it is easy to lose focus,'' Murray said. ``But if you go one game at a time, and do what you have to do, you can move forward.''

Palffy, who has 22 goals for the season, got all of his points during a three-goal second period that gave the Kings a lead they would not give back.

Steve Heinze, Derek Armstrong and Joe Corvo also scored against Calgary goaltender Roman Turek. All came on the power play.

Jarome Iginla, like Palffy the subject of repeated trade rumors, scored his second goal of the game midway through the third period for Calgary. But after getting outshot 25-9 in the first two periods, the Flames had too much ground to make up.

Kings goaltender Jamie Storr wasn't tested until the third period, but he continued to play well. He came in 4-1 in his past five games with a 1.75 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

But the biggest problem for the Flames was the penalties. The Kings were 4 for 9 on the power play in the first two periods and never allowed Calgary to build any momentum. The Flames were the sharper team for much of the third period, but it wasn't enough.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Kings lost in overtime at Calgary. It was the middle game of three consecutive road losses in mid- January that looked as though it could doom their season.

This time, the Flames were coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Anaheim on Wednesday night, and it showed. They were outshot 11-2 to open the game and fell behind on a power-play goal by Heinze.

But then the Kings went back into the same hole that nearly doomed them in Tuesday's narrow victory at Nashville. They briefly gave back their momentum when Palffy turned over the puck in the Kings' end and Iginla tied the game with his 21st goal at 13:37.

The Flames never could beat the battle of fatigue. After getting whistled for five penalties in the first period, Calgary was cited for seven more in the second.

Palffy gave the Kings the lead for good at 11:32 of the second when he scored the first of three Kings' goals in the period.

He took a pass from Corvo and threaded a shot through Turek.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Derek Armstrong, left, scored one of the Kings' four goals in a 4-2 victory over Calgary on Thursday.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

Box:

LONG ROAD AHEAD